During a meeting of the Central Committee of the African Peoples’ Party–Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) held this Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Abidjan, former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo declared that his political party would support the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI) following the removal of Tidjane Thiam, president of the PDCI, from the electoral roll.
“We will not allow the PDCI-RDA to disappear in times of difficulty. We will give them our support, expecting nothing in return. Political conviction is not a matter of bargaining,” said Mr. Gbagbo. “We want this party, which has existed since before I was born, to continue thriving long after I am gone,” he added.
Laurent Gbagbo also emphasized that few parties in Côte d’Ivoire can claim to have contributed to the establishment of multiparty democracy, thus highlighting the historic importance of the PDCI-RDA. “The PDCI-RDA represents an essential political voice in Côte d’Ivoire, and all political expressions must be allowed to exist,” he insisted.
It is worth noting that Laurent Gbagbo himself has been removed from the electoral roll, yet he has nonetheless been nominated as the PPA-CI candidate for the upcoming presidential election scheduled for October 2025.